The most effective way to help today is through financial donations. Donate only to verified volunteer organizations or official government accounts.

Trust the requests for help only from the people you know personally. If you don’t know the person, check them carefully. Message them directly, ask your mutual friends about them, etc. If you cannot identify a person, better send your money to trusted accounts.

If you have a car, inform the volunteer centers about your readiness to help. Don’t rush to help on your own. Remember, if you act in a chaotic way, you hinder the military and municipal services.

If you respond to a post on social media, make sure the request for help is still relevant:

• Learn “what”, “where”, and “how” you can help;
• Ask for a phone number of the author to keep in touch in case there is no Internet;
• Settle on coordination;
• Communicate any info to the author in private messages, not publicly.

If you have already helped, inform the author immediately. Call or text them and ask to mark the task done.

Don’t share the requests from other people for no reason. Sharing it publicly, you take the responsibility to track it, coordinate the help, and notify once it’s done. Don’t share any extra info once you are not ready to take such responsibility.

If you can offer:

• Food
• Medicine
• Fuel
• Equipment
• Accommodation
• Logistics services

Don’t post this on social media. Instead, it’s better to contact the volunteer centers in your city to offer your help indicating “what,” “where,” and “how” you are ready to help.

If you have already posted your offer to help on social media, it’s mandatory to notify once it’s not relevant anymore. Don’t mislead those who need help.

If your relatives or acquaintances are willing to help too, help them to get organized based on what you learned from these rules.

Support each other. If people make mistakes, don’t criticize them. Better help them and calmly explain how to help effectively.

Share this guide with anyone willing to help.

Keep calm and patient. Thank everyone who help. Your work is important. We will win.

Beware of scams. During wartime, fake fundraising campaigns and cloned pages of well-known charities are widespread. Transfer money only to verified organizations or through official channels. Do not follow suspicious links.

Protect your personal data. Do not send copies of documents, bank card details, exact addresses, travel routes, or other sensitive personal information in private messages.

Be careful with photos and videos. Do not publish images of aid or volunteer trips if they reveal geolocation, license plates, identifiable landmarks, or people without their consent.